HOW MY ART HAS CHANGED SINCE BECOMING MUM?
Time… Oh Sleep-Deprived Precious Time
A friend once said to me “I wish I realised how much time I actually had before kids” 4 years later… now I get where she was coming from!
So now, when I get proper studio time there’s a sudden urgency. There’s no time to deliberate or ‘be in the mood’ to paint. I don’t wait for inspiration. I show up and start making some marks, then things just start rolling. I’ve learnt that once you actually start ideas and inspiration come along.
“I DON’T WAIT FOR INSPIRATION ANYMORE. I SHOW UP AND START MAKING MARKS, THEN THINGS START ROLLING.”
Time away from the studio can also be helpful, having a day or so away from a piece can make you see it more objectively. Your less attached some how and this gives you fresh perspective.
Location & New Space
Pre-baby we lived in Brighton, UK. It was busy and noisy, eclectic and creative. We loved living there but house prices are steep and finding one with outdoor space (which I craved) is like stumbling upon gold dust, if fact a little of that would help you get a garden too. I worked in a studio with 19 other artists at 106 Studio. It was a hugely inspiring space, although snug at only 2x1 metre. I would have work drying above my head and everything I might need cram packed below my desk.
Since moving to Buckinghamshire back near our families, I now have a studio space at the end of our garden, (which apparently was Greg Rutherford’s home gym - the British olympic long jumper). The building was a bit abandoned when we moved in, so much so that the estate agents didn't even mention it! We spent around 6 months doing it up on the weekends with AMAZING help from family members. Insulating, flooring, adding windows, taking out a ceiling, adding spotlights and lots and lots of white paint. See before and after shots below.
Studio Practice
Pre-baby I worked part time and ran a small silk scarf business, Daubs and Dashes. The scarves sold online, in galleries and boutique stores. After making them for a few years I missed the time to develop my work and it started to feel like a production line.
After having my daughter, I decided to return to painting a few days a week in January 2019 and just see what happened. In May I started an online art course Nicholas Wilton’s Creative Visionary Programme (I would recommend it to all artists, particularly if you paint).
“I’M WORKING FASTER.. AND THE ‘FEAR’ OF SCREWING UP HAS GONE!”
I had of course painted lots before throughout my art education (A-Levels, Foundation Art and a BA Illustration Degree) but never as a sole practice. The course really taught me how to loosen up and create work I love. I’m working faster, on multiple boards at once and the ‘fear’ of screwing up has gone! I can just keep painting until it looks right. I’ve now always got between 4 - 10 paintings on the go, all at different stages and sizes so there is always something new to react to.
Libby & I having studio drawing time
Painting’s from my new series Marked Landscape can be seen at The Wey Gallery in Surrey, Cambridge Contemporary Art Gallery in Cambridge and Woburn Art Gallery, Bedfordshire.
Feel free to contact me directly if you are interested in a painting, for details on shipping, or to discuss a commissions.